I had the 50/1.8 and I rather have the 40/2.8 due to the optical quality.

Same here, the 'lil 40 is much better in every way.

Almost every way.

The Plastic Fantastic is over a stop faster and a bit longer and thus can get a shallower depth of field.

The extra stop is nice for low light, too, but the insane high ISO abilities of modern cameras make that advantage of wide apertures much less important.

If I had to choose between the Plastic Fantastic and the Shorty McForty, I'd pick the Shorty McForty in a heartbeat, though. The Plastic Fantastic wouldn't be my go-to lens for wide aperture work, so that one area where it narrowly beats the Shorty McForty is irrelevant to me.

It is just Shorty Forty...similar to Nifty Fifty...Most reference on the net is just Shorty Forty...no need to infuse a Mc here. It is like some one trying to rebrand the 50mm a "Nifty Von Fifty" or "Nifty Herr Fiftty".

There is no linkage to this lens in particular to the celtic naming you are trying to promote other than someone trying hard to make it stick....may be if it were wearing a kilt?

It is just Shorty Forty...similar to Nifty Fifty...Most reference on the net is just Shorty Forty...no need to infuse a Mc here. It is like some one trying to rebrand the 50mm a "Nifty Von Fifty" or "Nifty Herr Fiftty".

There is no linkage to this lens in particular to the celtic naming you are trying to promote other than someone trying hard to make it stick....may be if it were wearing a kilt?

Well, I don't know about anybody else's Shorty McForty, but mine not only wears a very stylish kilt, but it's got great big hairy brass ones hidden underneath, swinging freely in the breeze. It positively thrives on the Water of Life. And the way it plays the pipes would raise the dead and kill the living. Oh -- it also likes haggis for breakfast and porridge for supper.

...that, and I've not only always heard it referred to with that honorific, I also like the way it rolls off the tongue.

Well, I don't know about anybody else's Shorty McForty, but mine not only wears a very stylish kilt, but it's got great big hairy brass ones hidden underneath, swinging freely in the breeze. It positively thrives on the Water of Life. And the way it plays the pipes would raise the dead and kill the living. Oh -- it also likes haggis for breakfast and porridge for supper.

...that, and I've not only always heard it referred to with that honorific, I also like the way it rolls off the tongue.

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I have a Zeiss 50/1.4 ZE that is faster than the 50/1.8. If I need more speed there is the 1.2 or 1.0 50mm.

A point against the 50/1.8 is the design is from 1990 and it is rumored to be slated for a replacement with a Series 3.

The whole point of the 50/1.8 is not optical quality but price then followed by weight and speed. With the 40/2.8 my shooting style is always stopped down at 4.0 through 8.0.

I am the type of shooter who prefers optical quality of lens speed. I could've gotten any Sigma lens that is cheaper but IQ and ergonomics are far 2nd to the optics Canon has released in the past decade.

The Plastic Fantastic is over a stop faster and a bit longer and thus can get a shallower depth of field.

The extra stop is nice for low light, too, but the insane high ISO abilities of modern cameras make that advantage of wide apertures much less important.

If I had to choose between the Plastic Fantastic and the Shorty McForty, I'd pick the Shorty McForty in a heartbeat, though. The Plastic Fantastic wouldn't be my go-to lens for wide aperture work, so that one area where it narrowly beats the Shorty McForty is irrelevant to me.

It is just Shorty Forty...similar to Nifty Fifty...Most reference on the net is just Shorty Forty...no need to infuse a Mc here. It is like some one trying to rebrand the 50mm a "Nifty Von Fifty" or "Nifty Herr Fiftty".

Hobby Shooter

I have two lenses covering this range already, the 24-105L and the 35L. But after reading all the reviews about how good and sharp it is, the small size, the low price etc I really want one. I might just have to get myself one soon.

I have two lenses covering this range already, the 24-105L and the 35L. But after reading all the reviews about how good and sharp it is, the small size, the low price etc I really want one. I might just have to get myself one soon.

I loved the 24-105L (I have owned two copies, just recently sold my last because the Tamron 24-70 VC nudged it out), but at similar apertures the shorty forty will top it in IQ. Hard to believe, but true. Sharpness across the frame is REALLY high in the shorty. Stopped down to f/8 or so the sharpness across the frame is as good as anything in my kit. I have read that refraction sets in after f/10 or so, so I wouldn't suggest using it as a primary landscape lens if you want really deep depth of field, but its resolution is impressively high for such a small optic.

I have two lenses covering this range already, the 24-105L and the 35L. But after reading all the reviews about how good and sharp it is, the small size, the low price etc I really want one. I might just have to get myself one soon.

Yeah, I don't think you'll be disappointed by the 40mm at all with this setup. I may be a bit jaded having recently come off of using the incredible 24-70 ƒ/2.8 L II.

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I have a shorty forty but haven't used it much yet. The list price is $200, but over the holidays it was $40 or $50 less with rebates. Throw some store discounts on top of that and it was too cheap to pass up.

I've got that mid-range focal length well represented already- it's a stop faster than my 17-40L, it's slower than my Sigma 30/1.4 and nifty 50. I'm tempted to get a cheap rebel body just for this lens- is that crazy?

I have two lenses covering this range already, the 24-105L and the 35L. But after reading all the reviews about how good and sharp it is, the small size, the low price etc I really want one. I might just have to get myself one soon.

Yeah, I don't think you'll be disappointed by the 40mm at all with this setup. I may be a bit jaded having recently come off of using the incredible 24-70 ƒ/2.8 L II.